The Oval Invincibles, led by skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill, were up against Welsh Fire, led by skipper Tammy Beaumont, at the Kennington Oval, London, in the 16th match of The Hundred 2025, the 2nd game of the double-header on Saturday.
The Invincibles are fresh off their first win of the season, courtesy of their 22-run win against Birmingham Phoenix. Welsh Fire were struggling with yet another heavy defeat by 39 runs against Oval Invincibles. Both sides made one change each; Rachel Slater replaced Ryana MacDonald-Gay for the Invincibles, and Georgia Davis replaced Emily Windsor for Welsh Fire in their respective starting 11.
Southern Brave, led by skipper Georgia Adams, continued their unbeaten run in the tournament with another comprehensive 6-wicket win against Trent Rockets in the 1st game of the double-header on Saturday.
Kapp, Capsey and Wellington power the Oval Invincibles to 150/5
The Invincibles got off to a poor start, losing the wicket of their skipper, Lauren Winfield-Hill, on the first ball of the innings after she won the toss and opted to bat first, at Kennington Oval, London. Shabnim Ismail provided the first breakthrough for Welsh Fire. Alice Capsey joined Meg Lanning at the crease, and the duo stitched a much-needed 45-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to lead some sort of a recovery for their side.
Katie Levick broke the stand, by sending Meg Lanning (23 off 14 balls) back to the pavilion, providing the 2nd breakthrough for her side just outside the powerplay. Marizanne Kapp joined Alice Capsey at the crease, and the pair continued the momentum with another crucial 47-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, which also took their side closer to the 100-run mark.
Shabnim Ismail returned and broke the stand, by bagging another crucial scalp of Alice Capsey (55 off 34 balls) to provide a timely 3rd breakthrough for Welsh Fire. Alice Capsey registered her 6th half-century before getting dismissed. However, the run-flow continued on the other hand, as Kapp grew in confidence through her innings, holding onto one end.
A cameo from Amanda-Jade Wellington (17 off 9 balls) propelled them to a total of 150/5 in their quota of 100 deliveries. Marizanne Kapp stayed unbeaten on 47 (32 balls). Hayley Matthews (20-9-18-2) and Shabnim Ismail (20-7-31-2) were impressive with the ball for Welsh Fire.
Sophia Dunkley’s half-century in vain as Welsh Fire sink to another defeat
Chasing a challenging total of 151, the Welsh Fire openers Hayley Matthews and Sophie Dunkley got off to a very positive start with a 36-run opening stand. Amanda-Jade got the big scalp of Hayley Matthews (12 off 8 balls) in the context of the run chase to provide the 1st breakthrough for Oval Invincibles inside the powerplay.
Skipper Tammy Beaumont joined Sophia Dunkley at the crease, and the pair took their side past the 50-run mark with another crucial 22-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, placing them on track in the run chase. Marizanne Kapp got the big scalp of the opposition skipper, Tammy Beaumont, to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
The departure of their skipper triggered an unreal collapse as they lost their last 8 wickets for just 53 runs. As a result, they were bundled out for 111 with three balls to spare. The opening batter, Sophia Dunkley (56 off 41 balls), was the lone warrior for her side, notching up her 6th half-century before Sophia Smale sent her back to the pavilion. The Welsh Fire fell 39 runs short of the target to continue their string of defeats in the ongoing 5th edition of the tournament.
Sophia Smale (17-9-13-3), Marizanne Kapp (20-10-24-2), Amanda-Jade Wellington (20-8-24-2), and Alice Capsey (20-7-16-2) were the stand-out performers with the ball for Oval Invincibles. Marizanne Kapp was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational all-round impact, 47* off 32 balls with the bat and 20-10-24-2 with the ball for her side, as they clinched their 2nd consecutive victory of the ongoing season.
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